Ptolemy I Soter

Ptolemy I
Bust of Ptolemy I Soter, located at the Louvre.
Pharaoh
King of the Ptolemaic Kingdom
Reign	305 – January 282 BC
Predecessor	Alexander IV
Successor	Ptolemy II Philadelphus
Royal titulary Horus name wr-pḥty nsw ḳni Wer pehty nesu qeny Great of strength and brave king[1] Nebty name iṯi m sḫm ḥḳꜢ ṯl Itji em sekhem heqa tjel Who has seized with (his own) power, the ruler of Sile[1] Prenomen  (Praenomen) stp n rꜤ mry imn Setepenre meryimen Chosen by Ra and beloved of Amun [1] Nomen ptwlmys Ptolemys Ptolemy[1]
Consorts	Thaïs Artakama Eurydice Berenice
Children	(at least 12) Ptolemy Keraunos Meleager Arsinoe II Philotera Lysandra Ptolemy II Philadelphus Berenice Eirene Lagus Leontiscus Ptolemais
Father	Lagus
Mother	Arsinoe of Macedon
Born	c. 367 BC Eordaea, Macedon, Greece
Died	January 282 BC (aged 84–85) Alexandria, Ptolemaic Kingdom
Dynasty	Ptolemaic dynasty

Ptolemy I Soter (/ˈtɒləmi/; Greek: Πτολεμαῖος Σωτήρ, Ptolemaîos Sōtḗr "Ptolemy the Savior"; c. 367 BC – January 282 BC) was a Macedonian Greek^[2] general, historian, and successor of Alexander the Great who went on to found the Ptolemaic Kingdom centered on Egypt and led by his progeny from 305 BC – 30 BC. Ptolemy was basileus and pharaoh of Ptolemaic Egypt from 305/304 BC to his death,^[3] during which time Egypt became a thriving bastion of Hellenistic civilization and Alexandria a great seat of Greek culture.

Ptolemy I was the son of Arsinoe of Macedon by either her husband Lagus or Philip II of Macedon, the father of Alexander. However, the latter is unlikely and may be a myth fabricated to glorify the Ptolemaic Dynasty.^[4] Ptolemy was one of Alexander's most trusted companions and military officers. After the death of Alexander in 323 BC, Ptolemy retrieved his body as it was en route to be buried in Macedon, placing it in Memphis instead, where it was later moved to Alexandria in a new tomb. Afterwards he joined a coalition against Perdiccas, the royal regent over Philip III of Macedon. The latter invaded Egypt but was assassinated by his own officers in 320 BC, allowing Ptolemy I to consolidate his control over the country. After a series of wars between Alexander's successors, Ptolemy gained a claim to Judea in southern Syria, which was disputed with the Seleukid king Seleucus I. He also took control of Cyprus and Cyrenaica, the latter of which was placed under the control of Ptolemy's stepson Magas. Ptolemy also had the Library of Alexandria built.

Ptolemy I may have married Thaïs, his mistress during the life of Alexander; he is known to have married the Persian noblewoman Artakama on Alexander's orders. He later married Eurydice, daughter of the Macedonian regent Antipater; their sons Ptolemy Keraunos and Meleager ruled in turn as kings of Macedon. Ptolemy's final marriage was to Eurydice's cousin and lady-in-waiting, Berenice I. Ptolemy I died in 282 BC and was succeeded by his son with Berenice, Ptolemy II.